The Electric City sibling of a Troy original that itself was the outgrowth of a food truck, Slidin' Dirty-Schenectady debuted last June on a burgeoning section of State Street that benefits both from the presence of the audience magnet that is Proctors and the ongoing commercial and residential renovations of old buildings. Deservedly lauded for its small-sandwich menu, Slidin' Dirty is also run by a team adept with promotion on social media: The hashtag #SchenecDirty is catchy and effective.

1. Slidin' Dirty, Schenectady

2. Augie's To-Go, Saratoga Springs

3. Tara Kitchen, Troy

4. The Cuckoo's Nest, Albany

5. DinerTime, Latham

6. Arsenal City Tavern, Watervliet

7. Niko's, Colonie

8. The Dutch Udder, Troy

9. Johnny Rockets and Handcrafted Drafthouse Sports Bar, Albany

10. Lost & Found, Albany

Best locally owned restaurant

It's a small place with minimal parking and a Troy offshoot that won't be open until later this year, but Tipsy Moose knows how to galvanize its fans. Since they couldn't name it best new restaurant, which it easily won in 2017, Moosers put their votes behind it in another category, pushing it past better-known eateries open far longer.

While Jumpin' Jack's is on the water, it doesn't specialize in fish fry, and yet it lost the top spot to Ted's by only two votes. Go figure. Maybe its patrons enjoy hearing, as do we, the order-taker shout out "Whale fry" when someone asks for fried fish.

1. Ted's, various locations

2. Jumpin' Jack's Drive-In, Scotia

3. Harbor House, Clifton Park

4. Off-Shore Pier, Rensselaer

5. Gene's Fish Fry, East Greenbush

6. Anker's Fish House, Schenectady

Best hamburger

With seven Capital Region locations, Five Guys has its net out to snag the better-burger crowd. Stalwart Jack's and gourmet newcomer Crave had strong showings, too.

1. Five Guys, various locations

2. Jack's Drive-In, Wynantskill

3. Crave, Albany

4. Burger 21, Latham

5. Juicy Burgers & More, Guilderland

6. Jumpin' Jack's Drive-In, Scotia

Best pizza

(single location)

Kay's wins. Kay's always wins. But what's this — No. 2 goes to a place that wasn't even in the top 30 last year? Between its busy catering business, with a bus bearing the slogan "To feed and satisfy," and its support of schools and youth-sports organizations, DC's proves why it's been keeping the door open and the pizza ovens hot since 1989.

Free birthday wings in an amount equal to your age: That's the deal at Rusty Nail. And they're serious about it: Parties taking advantage of the offer have included a pair of 94-year-olds and a set of 50-year-old triplets, who received, respectively, 188 and 150 wings. Bribery will get you partway to the top, but wing quality is needed to get you to No. 1.

1. The Rusty Nail, Clifton Park

2. The Ruck, Troy

3. Towne Tavern, Averill Park

4. Wings Over Albany, Albany

5. 20 North Broadway Tavern, Schenectady

6. Ale House, Albany

Best sandwich shop

(single location)

Maybe the Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry in college football goes back a little further (1884), but in terms of wins it's split at 51 to 49 percent, and that's how we feel when we see Halfmoon Sandwich & Salad Shoppe and Gershon's battle it out in our Best Of every year. It's going to be one or the other.

1. Halfmoon Sandwich & Salad Shoppe, Halfmoon

2. Gershon's Deli, Schenectady

3. DiBella's

4. Deli & Brew, Troy

5. Pellegrino's, Colonie

Best Chinese restaurant

(single location)

With some new, quality entries into the field like Shu Chinese in Guilderland and Hu's House in Colonie, we're eager to see if this list gets shaken up once they've made more of a name for themselves. For now, not so much: Exact same results as last year.

1. Plum Blossom, Troy

2. Ala Shanghai, Latham

3. Rain Modern Chinese, Albany

4. Gold Coin Restaurant, Slingerlands

Best Italian restaurant

(single location)

Tucked into one of about five small shopping plazas on a Loudonville corner, D'Raymonds has been owned by the Crodelle family since its 1979 opening. The original owners' son now runs it with his wife, and their kids are on staff too, feeding at least three generations of families who keep voting them as our area's best Italian.

1. D'Raymonds, Loudonville

2. Caffe Italia, Albany

3. Canali's Restaurant, Schenectady

4. Delmonico's Italian Steakhouse, Colonie

Best Mexican/Central/South American

(single location)

Here's a familiar battle: El Mariachi vs. El Loco. About four blocks apart and each possessed of diehard voting fans. For some, the chips and salsa makes the difference; for others, the margaritas. We'll have another round of both, please, while we think about it.

1. El Mariachi, Albany

2. El Loco, Albany

3. La Fiesta, Albany

4. Pancho's, Clifton Park

5. El Charro, Latham

Best Indian/Pakistani

(single location)

At least voters in this category voted for specific locations of Shalimar, which occupies three of the five top spots. Karavalli, with authentic food and more upscale prices, occupies a different strata that its competitors.

1. Karavalli, Latham

2. Shalimar, Latham

3. Shalimar, Delmar

4. Curry House, Albany

5. Shalimar, Troy

Best Japanese

(single location)

The typical churn of the restaurant business seems not to apply to Japanese fare: These are the same restaurants in the same order as last year, and the list has been largely static for years, as the newest of these restaurants opened more than five years ago, and the oldest, perennially top finisher Koto, has been around three times longer.

1. Koto Japanese Restaurant, Colonie

2. Hana Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar, Guilderland

3. Sake Japanese Steakhouse, Colonie

4. Shogun, Albany

Best Thai

(single location)

The competition opened up after the closure of Bangkok Bistro in Colonie last summer. Sweet Basil's reputation has grown beyond its DelSo neighborhood in Albany to draw enough diners and voters to come out on top.

1. Sweet Basil Thai Restaurant, Albany

2. Thai Thai Bistro, Niskayuna

3. Capital Thai, Albany

4. Celadon Thai, Latham

Best Vietnamese

(single location)

Come on, people: We specified "single location," and yet Pho Yum, with spots in Colonie and Albany and a lunch counter at the Empire State Plaza, came in second? Even that trio, though, couldn't displace Van's.

1. Van's Vietnamese Restaurant, Albany

2. Pho Yum, multiple locations

3. Saigon Spring, Clifton Park

4. Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar, Albany

Best diner

(single location)

Color us not surprised: Alexis Diner is open 15 hours a day, every day of the week, and the parking lot always seems to be at least half full. On a quirky note, Alexis' prices are never a round number.

1. Alexis Diner, Troy

2. Latham 76, Latham

3. Blue Ribbon, Schenectady

4. Halfmoon Diner, Clifton Park

Best barbecue restaurant

Brooks' Barbecue has such a presence that, even being located more than 80 miles from Albany, it still placed second. In fairness, this isn't just from people driving an hour and a half to visit Brooks' home base: The company cooks for many large community barbecues throughout the region. But this wasn't much of a contest, with the Dino stomping all comers as it has since arriving in Troy.

1. Dinosaur Bar-B-Q, Troy

2. Brooks' House of BBQ, Oneonta

3. Texas Roadhouse, Colonie

4. Pig Pit, Cohoes

5. Capital Q, Albany

Best cheap eats

Take that, you international chains with your dollar menus and bright, clean, plasticky decor (and food): Gus's and its mini dogs win again.

1. Gus's Hot Dogs, Watervliet

2. McDonald's

3. Taco Bell

4. Famous Lunch, Troy

5. Burger King

6. Don & Paul's Coffee Shoppe, Waterford

Best southern

The stalwart and the newcomer face off. Hattie's has been open for almost 80 years; Cuckoo's Nest, less than five months. Cuckoo's popularity is less surprising when you know that its owners already have experience wowing customers with gourmet-burger spot Crave, located across the street. Their modern take on Southern had big shoes to fill in taking over what for more than 30 years was The Ginger Man, but Cuckoo's distinguished itself. And look at that, down at number 5: Ya Ya's, which after losing its lease in late 2016, wasn't even open at all in 2017 but remained in people's minds while finding a new home that opened earlier this year.

1. Hattie's, Saratoga Springs

2. Cuckoo's Nest, Albany

3. Texas Roadhouse, Colonie (tie)

3. Popeye's, Albany (tie)

4. Dinosaur BBQ, Troy

5. Ya Ya's House, Schenectady

Best vegetarian

Although chef Ric Orlando cooks meat and seafood with the best of them, he loves vegetables and vegetarians, who for almost 30 years have known he would create plates that were conceived as complete meatless meals instead of extra sides added to replace the missing animal protein.

1. New World Bistro Bar, Albany

2. Honest Weight Food Co-op Deli, Albany

3. Bombers, Albany

4. Berben & Wolff's Vegan Delicatessen, Albany

Best steakhouse

Same restaurants, same order as in the past. The top two couldn't be more different, in ambiance or price: One's got 90-minute waits on weekends; the other is sleek and swanky. One charges $25 for a 24-ounce steak; the other, 30 bucks more for a 22-ouncer. Different strokes for different folks.

1. Delmonico's, Colonie and Clifton Park

2. Angelo's 677 Prime, Albany

3. Barnsider, Colonie

4. Texas Roadhouse, Colonie

5. The Bears' Steakhouse, Duanesburg

6. Black & Blue Steak and Crab, Guilderland

Best bar for singles

Once upon a time, in the 1970s and '80s, the words "singles bar" meant something quite particular, with neon lights, frou-frou drinks, danceable music and a name like Scamps. And then came the 1990s and beyond, when dating changed, people socialized in groups and maybe developed romantic entanglements within them. The closest in spirit to old-time singles bars is Philly, which underwent a massive renovation, installed a mezzanine with leather couches and revitalized a place named after a sandwich.

1. City Line, Albany

2. Philly Bar & Grill, Latham (tie)

2. The Ruck, Troy (tie)

3. The Point, Albany

4. Lionheart, Albany

Best coffee shop

Uncommon Grounds is always popular and this year (due, perhaps, to a multiple-location loophole), they unseat the always-popular Professor Java's to nab the top spot. Stacks, which last year opened a second location in the surging residential area that is downtown Albany, is percolating at No. 5.

1. Uncommon Grounds, multiple locations

2. Professor Java's, Colonie

3. Stewart's Shop, multiple locations

4. Perfect Blend, Delmar

5. Stacks Espresso Bar, Albany

Best tea shop

A new category this year, best tea shop was dominated by Whistling Kettle in Troy. And that was without the help of votes for WK's Ballston Spa original location. Apparently hipsters drink tea and vote for their local shop.

1. Whistling Kettle, Troy

2. Short & Stout, Guilderland

3. Saratoga Tea & Honey, Saratoga Springs

4. Tailored Tea, Latham

Best bar for beer

As more local breweries open, the focus intensifies on good beer. Whether made in-house or across the globe, these beers are served in establishments where staff and customers love sharing their sudsy knowledge. It's probably harder to find a mediocre tap line than a stellar one these days.

1. Druthers Brewing Co., Albany and Saratoga Springs

2. Brown's Brewing Co., Troy

3. The Ruck, Troy

4. Wolff's Biergarten, multiple locations

5. The Tipsy Moose, Latham

Best bar for wine

The closure last year of one of area oenophiles' longtime favorites, The Ginger Man, mixed things up in the voting for best bar for wine. With a chic, retro-urban interior look, an all-seasons back courtyard with a retractable roof and connected access to its sibling restaurants Peck's Arcade and Little Pecks, Lucas Confectionery has broad appeal to varied crowds.

1. Lucas Confectionery, Troy

2. The Wine Bar, Saratoga Springs

3. Twisted Vine and Tap, Delmar

4. The Point, Albany

5. Yono's, Albany

Best place to get a frozen treat

The Snowman ice cream shop in Lansingburgh lived up to its name when it opened in early March, serving its first cones in the days between two big nor'easters that walloped the region with the fluffy white stuff. Stewart's Shops, famed for its ice cream, placed third, perhaps as a result of scattering votes among its locations, or maybe just because we take it for granted. Unlike Snowman, the annual opening of which is celebrated, Stewart's is always open.

1. Snowman, Troy

2. Guptill's Coney Express, Colonie

3. Stewart's Shop, multiple locations

4. Emack & Bolio's, Albany

Best restaurant for outdoor dining

What's this? Druthers, with its wedge-shaped, gated front patio, surges past Jumpin' Jack's to take second place? And it doesn't even have a water view, as Brown's, JJ and Dinosaur do? Hmmm. That beer is mighty persuasive.

1. Brown's Brewing Co., Troy

2. Druthers, Saratoga Springs

3. Jumpin' Jacks Drive In, Scotia

4. Lanie's Cafe, Albany

5. Dinosaur Bar-B-Q, Troy

Best restaurant for a romantic night out

Voting indicates that for the majority of our readers, an expensive meal is still a centerpiece of a romantic night out. With Delmonico's as the exception, these are sophisticated restaurants offering luxury ingredients at a premium price.

1. Angelo's 677 Prime, Albany

2. Yono's Restaurant, Albany

3. Peck's Arcade, Troy

4. Delmonico's, Colonie and Clifton Park

5. Black & Blue, Guilderland

Best family restaurant

(single location)

After opening his first restaurant in 1990, in Westchester County, the Bronx-bred Augie Vitiello moved to the Capital Region 14 years ago and opened Augie's Family Style Italian Restaurant in Ballston Spa. The restaurant offers large portions of Italian and Italian-American favorites, and takeout was so popular that the company a year ago opened Augie's To-Go in Saratoga Springs to provide pickup meals for a larger audience.

1. Augie's Family Style Italian Restaurant, Ballston Spa

2. Swifty's, Delmar

3. Texas Roadhouse, Colonie

4. Buca di Beppo, Albany

Best chain restaurant

This is interesting: A local chain that serves its suburban audiences well — in Clifton Park, Latham and Slingerlands — beat out another regionally based chain (five in upstate New York, one in Florida), and both of them bested the big national brands. Its a sign of the times, perhaps, that Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Macaroni Grill, P.F. Chang's and other behemoths with big advertising budgets are nowhere on any of these lists, replaced by fast-casual and fast-food concepts.

1. Bellini's

2. Delmonico's

3. Five Guys Burgers and Fries

4. Panera Bread

Best chef

Look out, Ric and Yono: Three young guns, who have been alive for fewer years than you have been cooking, are coming for you. This list goes only to five places, but we're sad to report that no woman broke into even the top eight in voting. They have the jobs, and they have talent — now how about some votes?

1. Ric Orlando, New World Bistro Bar

2. Yono Purnomo, Yono's

3. Devin Ziemann, Cuckoo's Nest and Crave

4. Ian Brower, Lost & Found

5. Brandon Styles, Tipsy Moose Tap & Tavern

Best spot for a working lunch

Does no one drink at lunch anymore? Nope — they go to Panera and head back to the office or to a cafe table for more time with the laptop. Obviously, "working lunch" means actually working during lunch, whereas it once meant "talking, sometimes about work stuff, while eating shrimp cocktail and beef Wellington and washing it down with martinis."

1. Panera Bread

2. Iron Gate Cafe, Albany

3. City Line, Albany

4. Bountiful Bread, Guilderland

— Steve Barnes

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